Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for heart disease. However, a heart-healthy diet can protect against this side effect and might even provide relief from rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

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You may know that rheumatoid arthritis causes aching and painful joints, but are you aware that it also poses a significant threat to heart health? Like high cholesterol and hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis is a known risk factor for heart disease.

Studies have found that rheumatoid arthritis patients are up to three times as likely to have a heart attack as healthy people, particularly if they have had arthritis for an extended period. In fact, heart disease is the main reason for an increased risk of death among rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The good news is there’s a lot people with rheumatoid arthritis can do to help prevent heart disease. A heart-healthy diet can go a long way toward preventing heart attack and stroke, and also has the benefit of minimizing arthritis flares.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Heart Health

Researchers have identified several possible reasons for why heart disease occurs more often in people with rheumatoid arthritis:

The chronic inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis causes the arteries to harden and does other systemic damage to the circulatory system.

Medications taken to treat rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, like corticosteroids, can also harm heart health over time.

People with rheumatoid arthritis may become sedentary and overweight, increasing their heart disease risk.

A Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet

People with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms need to watch what they eat, given that their illness is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, says Lona Sandon, RD, LD, an assistant professor in the department of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern. "They should be following a heart-healthy diet similar to someone with high cholesterol," Sandon says. "That means having mostly a plant-based diet."

As an added benefit, people who follow a heart-healthy diet often experience improvement in their rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, Sandon says. For one thing, they probably will lose weight under such a diet, which provides immediate relief for arthritis symptoms. "When weight tends to spiral up, there tends to be more flares and more problems," Sandon adds. "Less weight means less stress on the joints."

A heart-healthy diet includes:

Plenty of vegetables and fruits. These provide plenty of fiber and nutrition with fewer calories.

Vegetable oils such as canola or olive oil, which contain "good" cholesterol in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

When eating for heart health, avoid:

Saturated fats, which are typically solid at room temperature — fatty cuts of meat, sticks of butter, lard, and cheese made from whole milk.

Trans fats, which are usually found in processed foods. Look for the words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in ingredient lists as a tip-off for the presence of trans fats.

Added sugars in food, usually in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, or dextrose.

High levels of sodium.

Foods That Might Fight Inflammation

Although the science is far from conclusive, there is some evidence that diet can influence the inflammation that comes with rheumatoid arthritis, potentially helping reduce arthritis pain and lowering your chances of heart disease:

Eating more fish will increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to ease joint pain and stiffness in some patients. "Your basic cold-water fishes are going to be your best sources of these omega-3s, and they are a good source of quality protein as well," Sandon says.

By the same token, reducing your red meat consumption can lower your intake of arachidonic acid. "Arachidonic acid in red meat has been pinpointed as a type of fat that actually causes inflammation," Sandon says. "When inflammation is out of control to begin with, adding fats that might increase this inflammation is problematic."

Colorful fruits and vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants, which can help protect the body against the oxidative stress caused by inflammation. "You want to have a rainbow of colors to get the most benefit — some red, some orange, some yellow, some green, some blues," Sandon says.

By eating well, you may have a good chance of alleviating some of the risk factors that can lead to heart disease, boost your overall health, and possibly reduce inflammation.

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